World Health Organization, 15 June 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS): Global Alert, Global Response World Health Organization, 15 June 2003

Partnership for global alert and response to infectious diseases: network of networks WHO Regional & Country Offices WHO Collaborating Centres/Laboratories Epidemiology and Surveillance Networks Countries/National Disease Control Centres Military Laboratory Networks UN Sister Agencies GPHIN NGOs Electronic Discussion sites FORMAL INFORMAL Media

Surveillance network partners in Asia APEC FluNet Pacific Public Health Surveillance Network (PPHSN) SEAMIC Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance (MBDS) SEANET ASEAN EIDIOR

Global Public Health Intelligence Network, Canada

FluNet: Global surveillance of human influenza: Participating laboratories, 2003 1 laboratory > 1 laboratory national network

Reports of respiratory infection, WHO global surveillance networks, 2002–2003 27 November Guangdong Province, China: Non-official report of outbreak of respiratory illness with government recommending isolation of anyone with symptoms (GPHIN) 11 February Guangdong Province, China: report to WHO office Beijing of outbreak of atypical pneumonia (WHO) 14 February Guangdong Province, China: Official confirmation of an outbreak of atypical pneumonia with 305 cases and 5 deaths (China) 19 February Hong Kong, SAR China: Official report of 33-year male and 9 year old son in Hong Kong with Avian influenza (H5N1), source linked to Fujian Province, China (Hong Kong, FluNet)

Intensified surveillance for pulmonary infections, WHO 2003 26 February Hanoi, Viet Nam: Official report of 48-year-old business man with high fever (> 38 ºC), atypical pneumonia and respiratory failure with history of previous travel to China and Hong Kong 5 March Hanoi, Viet Nam: Official report of 7 medical staff from French Hospital reported with atypical pneumonia Early March Hong Kong, SAR China Official report of 77 medical staff from Hospital reported with atypical pneumonia`, WHO teams arrive Hong Kong and Hanoi, and with governments advise on investigation and containment activities

Global Alert: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) 12 March: First global alert describing atypical pneumonia in Viet Nam and Hong Kong 14 March Four persons Ontario, three persons in Singapore, with severe atypical pneumonia fitting description of 12 March alert reported to WHO 15 March Medical doctor with atypical pneumonia fitting description of 12 March reported by Ministry of Health, Singapore on return flight from New York

Global Alert, 15 March 2003 1) Atypical pneumonia with rapid progression to respiratory failure 2) Health workers appeared to be at greatest risk 3) Unidentified cause, presumed to be an infectious agent 4) Antibiotics and antivirals did not appear effective 5) Spreading internationally within Asia and to Europe and North America

Global Alert: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) 15 March: Second global alert Case definition provided Name (SARS) announced Advice given to international travellers to raise awareness 26 March Evidence accumulating that persons with SARS continued to travel from areas with local transmission, and that adjacent passengers were at small, but non-quantified risk 27 March Guidance provided to airlines and areas with local transmission to screen passengers leaving in order to decrease risk of international travel by persons with SARS

Global Alert: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) 1 April: Evidence accumulating from exported cases that three criteria were potentially increasing international spread: magnitude of outbreak and number of new cases each day pattern of local transmission exportation of probable cases 2 April to present: Guidance provided to general public to postpone non-essential travel to areas with local transmission that met above criteria

SARS: cumulative number of probable cases worldwide as of 12 June 2003 – Total: 8 445 cases, 790 deaths Europe: 10 countries (38) Canada (238) Russian Fed. (1) Mongolia (9) Mongolia (9) Korea Rep. (3) USA (70) China (5328) Macao (1) Kuwait (1) Hong Kong (1755) Taiwan (688) India (3) Colombia (1) Viet Nam (63) Malaysia (5) Indonesia (2) Singapore (206) Brazil (3) Philippines (14) Thailand (9) South Africa (1) South Africa (1) Australia (5) Outbreaks before 15 March global alert New Zealand (1) Outbreaks after 15 March global alert

Probable cases of SARS by date of onset, Hanoi: n = 62 1 February – 12 June 2003 10 9 8 7 6 Number of cases 5 4 3 2 1 1 Feb. 11 Feb. 21 Feb. 3 March 13 March 23 March 2 April 12 April 22 April 2 May 12 June

Probable cases of SARS by date of onset, Singapore: n = 206 1 February – 12 June 2003 14 12 10 8 Number of cases 6 4 Source: Ministry of Health, Singapore, WHO 2 1 Feb. 13 Feb. 25 Feb. 9 Mar. 21 Mar. 2 Apr. 14 Apr. 26 Apr. 8 May 20 May 29 May 12 Jun.

Probable cases of SARS by date of onset, Canada: n = 227* 1 February – 12 June 2003 10 9 * As of 12 June 2003, 11 additional probable cases of SARS have been reported from Canada for whom no dates of onset are available. Source: Health Canada 8 7 6 Number of cases 5 4 3 2 1 1 Feb. 13 Feb. 25 Feb. 9 Mar. 21 -Mar. 2 Apr. 14 Apr. 26 Apr. 8 May 20 May 1 Jun. 12 Jun.

Probable cases of SARS by date of onset, Taiwan: n = 688 1 February – 12 June 2003 30 25 20 Number of cases 15 10 5 1 Feb. 13 Feb. 25 Feb. 9 Mar. 21 Mar. 2 Apr. 14 Apr. 26 Apr. 8 May 20 May 1 Jun. 12 Jun.

Probable cases of SARS by date of onset, Beijing: n = 2,522 350 300 250 200 number of cases 150 100 50 30-Mar-03 13-Apr-03 27-Apr-03 11-May-03 25-May-03 8-Jun-03 date of report

249 cases have been traced to the A case 156 close contacts of HCW and SARS: chain of transmission among guests at Hotel Metropole, Hong Kong, 21 February Hospital 2 Hong Kong 4 HCW + 2 Index case from Guangdong Canada 12 HCW + 4 As of 26 March, 249 cases have been traced to the A case Hospital 3 Hong Kong 3 HCW F G Ireland 156 close contacts of HCW and patients A Hotel M Hong Kong K H I Hospital 1 Hong Kong 99 HCW E USA J D C B Viet Nam 37 HCW + ? Hospital 4 Hong Kong Germany HCW + 2 Singapore 34 HCW + 37 New York Bangkok HCW 4 other Hong Kong hospitals 28 HCW Source: WHO/CDC

Airport screening and health information, Hong Kong, SARS, 2003

Probable cases of SARS by date of onset, Hong Kong: n = 1 753, as of 9 June 2003 120 100 80 60 Number of cases 40 20 1 Feb. 13 Feb. 25 Feb. 9 Mar. 21 Mar. 2 Apr. 14 Apr. 26 Apr. 8 May 20 May 1 Jun. 9 Jun.

SARS and the economy: impact on global travel, Hong Kong

SARS and the economy: impact on global travel, Singapore

The cost of SARS: Initial estimates, Asian Development Bank

SARS: what more we know 3 months later 1) Atypical pneumonia with rapid progression to respiratory failure: Case fatality rate by age group: 85% full recovery Incubation period: 3–10 days 2) Health workers appeared to be at greatest risk Health workers remain primary risk group in second generation Others at risk include family members of index cases and health workers, and their contacts Majority of transmission has been close personal contact; in Hong Kong environmental factors caused localized transmission < 1% < 24 years old 6% 25–44 years old 15% 45–64 years old > 50% > 65 years old

SARS: what more we know 3 months later 3) Unidentified cause, presumed to be an infectious agents Aetiological agent: Coronavirus, hypothesized to be of animal origin PCR and various antibody tests developed and being used in epidemiological studies, but PCR lacks sufficient sensitivity as diagnostic tool 4) Antibiotics and antivirals did not appear effective Studies under way to definitively provide information on effectiveness of antivirals alone or in combination with steroids, and on use of hyperimmune serum in persons with severe disease Case detection, isolation, infection control and contact tracing are effective means of containing outbreaks Meeting 30 April at NIH to examine priorities in drugs and vaccine developments

SARS: what more we know 3 months later 5) Spreading internationally within Asia and to Europe and North America Only 1 major outbreak occurred after 15 March despite initial exported cases to a total of 32 countries Symptomatic persons with SARS no longer travelling internationally International spread occurring the in small number of persons who are in incubation period Since 15 March, 27 persons on 4 of 32 international flights carrying symptomatic persons with SARS appear to have been infected (1 flight alone on 15 March has accounted for 22 of these 27 cases), and these occurred before 23 March

SARS: what we are learning In the world today an infectious disease in one country is a threat to all: infectious diseases do not respect international borders Information and travel guidance can contain the international spread of an infectious disease Experts in laboratory, epidemiology and patient care can work together for the public health good despite heavy pressure to publish academically Emerging infectious disease outbreaks often have an unnecessary negative economic impact on tourism, travel and trade Infectious disease outbreaks reveal weaknesses in public health infrastructure Emerging infections can be contained with high level government commitment and international collaboration if necessary

SARS: what Hong Kong has contributed to the global effort Reporting: open and transparent reporting of H5N1 on 19 February that led to intensified global surveillance for respiratory disease Reporting: open and transparent reporting in early March of health worker infection, leading to global alert on 12 March Information: new cases and deaths reported regularly to WHO Science: coronavirus first isolated and identified, early PCR and antibody tests developed, environmental factors involved in transmission identified, studies on animal reservoir in collaboration with Guandong scientists conducted Outbreak Control: prompt reaction once outbreak had been identified, with effective case identification, contact tracing, isolation/infection control, surveillance and quarantine despite environmental transmission at Amoy Gardens Patient management: controlled studies on antivrial drugs alone and in combination with steroids, convalescent serum for treatment

SARS: what Hong Kong will contribute to the global effort over coming months Continued case identification through surveillance: necessary to determine whether infection is endemic and seasonal, or whether it has disappeared from human populations Continued collaboration with China, particularly Guangdong Province in studies to identify animal reservoir and risk factors for transmission to humans necessary to manage the risk and prevent future outbreaks Continued participation in major WHO networks of global surveillance for influenza and other infectious diseases identify next major emergence of new influenza strain or other infection of international importance